


In Another Time, In Another Life

by AGirlNamedEd



Category: Bionicle - All Media Types
Genre: Adults, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Police, Bank Robbery, College, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Gali is totally the biggest shipper in all of Bionicle, Gen, High School, M/M, Platonic Relationships, Pohatu is a little shit, Romantic Friendship, Teenagers, stupid five minute drabbles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-17
Updated: 2014-02-22
Packaged: 2018-01-12 19:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1196187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGirlNamedEd/pseuds/AGirlNamedEd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title totally not inspired by Tintin nope not this girl</p>
<p>Basically a bunch of AUs for my OTP, Kopaka/Pohatu, based on a couple of tumblr posts.  All sorts of universes are used here!</p>
<p>-platonic relationships<br/>-romantic relationships<br/>-acquaintances<br/>-childhood friends<br/>-college roommates<br/>-old farts<br/>-young farts<br/>-developing relationship<br/>-established relationship<br/>-one sided crush</p>
<p>There are a LOT of prompts.  Yikes.</p>
<p>And yes, they will all be human!AUs.  Deal with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Train Ride to Nowhere

**Author's Note:**

> http://frostlawyer.tumblr.com/post/76546759677/obligatory-aus-i-really-want-post  
> From this post: incredibly long crosscountry train ride AU  
> Relationship: Platonic (awkward blushing but no real romance)  
> Age: 20s  
> Warnings: Pohatu being an ass/idiot/little shit

"I'm bored."

Kopaka sighed and glanced up at his friend. Pohatu had his chin propped on one hand, elbow against the train window ledge, and was pouting at Kopaka. "Don't pout, you're a grown man." Kopaka directed his attention back to his novel. He had an essay to finish when they got back to college and he didn't care that he'd already finished _Beowulf_ seven times, he was going to finish it an eighth to see if he'd missed anything, dammit.

"But I'm _booooored_."

Pohatu had three stages of bored: pouting, whining, and throwing random objects at people. Kopaka closed his book. This required his full attention. More often than not, those objects were aimed at him.

The brunet sighed dramatically. "We've been on this train for _hours_ and I'm bored and hungry."

Neither statement was false, Kopaka supposed. They'd been on this train for two and a half hours and still had another three to go. And Pohatu was always hungry.  
Kopaka ran a hand through his shaggy platinum blonde hair. "Fine. What do you want to do?"

Pohatu instantly brightened up. "Let's play--"

"No." At his friend's crestfallen look, Kopaka sighed and elaborated. "You always want to play I Spy and the answer is always the conductor's ass, which is not only predictable but insulting to both her and to my intelligence. We are not playing I Spy."

"But I'm _bored_."

"Then think of something else to do. I won't play I Spy." Kopaka adjusted his glasses and started to open _Beowulf_ again. "Don't you have Angry Birds or something on your phone?"

"My phone died," Pohatu sighed. He leaned over Kopaka's shoulder and whistled, one long, low note. "That looks complicated."

"It's _Beowulf_."

"Cool. Is that the dragon one?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"Technically," Pohatu pointed out smugly, "you just did."

Kopaka turned his head to snap something at him, but no sound came out. He hadn't realised just how much Pohatu was invading his personal space. Good Lord, he could almost feel the body heat radiating off Pohatu's tanned face. It was awkward and yet neither of them were moving...though Pohatu had no sense of personal space and probably hadn't noticed.

"Move," he muttered, shoving him away. Ignoring his whiney protests (they were going to have to have a talk later about the fact that Pohatu was _twenty-damn-three_ and Kopaka knew _three-year-olds_ who were more mature than him), he dug his own iPhone out of his pocket and jammed it into Pohatu's hands. "I have Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and Candy Crush. Go nuts, but for the love of God, shut up."

Pohatu flashed his pearly whites at Kopaka. "Awesome! You're the best, Paka!" Before Kopaka could protest the much despised nickname, Pohatu had flung an arm around his shoulders in a half-hug. The arm was retracted as quickly as it came, and Kopaka was treated to beautiful, beautiful silence for the next ten minutes until Pohatu started swearing at Angry Birds.


	2. The College Tour from Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Pohatu is friendly, Kopaka is not, and Tahu is mentioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://frostlawyer.tumblr.com/post/76546759677/obligatory-aus-i-really-want-post  
> Relationship: Platonic (know each other but aren't friends)  
> Age: high school  
> Warnings: slightly tsundere Kopaka

One thing Pohatu could say in the college's favour was that it sure was big. Other than that he really didn't know what to say about it. The tour guide didn't seem to be much older than he was and was tripping over himself every few words. Pohatu felt kind of bad for him, but he also wanted to hurry up and get to the parts of the tour he was interested in--the varsity teams, track, and massage therapy rooms.

He peeked over the heads of the crowd, which wasn't difficult at 6'6", and spied Kopaka again at the front of the group, studiously taking notes. He hadn't spoken much to Kopaka, all he really knew about him was that he didn't get along with Pohatu's friend Tahu, but they'd been going to the same school for the past three years now, so if they were going to be at the same college it'd be nice. At least Pohatu would know somebody. Sort of.

"And here's where we split up," the guide said, sounding relieved. "This is Missy." He indicated a woman in a pantsuit who was significantly older than Guide Whatshisface McAwkward. She smiled at them. "She'll be taking people who're, y'know, interested in, like, business, sports and recreation, and arts fields to see those areas. Anyone else is still, um, with me. And we'll, uh, we'll meet up at the...the library. In an hour. Yeah. Okay. So! Let's go this way!" He pointed confidently down a hall and a large part of the group broke off to follow him.

There were only about fifteen students left with Missy, including Pohatu and Kopaka. Pohatu waved at Kopaka when he cast a quick glance around the group, but either he didn't see him or ignored him. It was hard to tell with him.

Missy seemed much more confident than the other guy, and led them around the campus with gusto. Pohatu jogged forward to listen better. This was the part he was here for, after all. In his haste, he accidentally bumped into Kopaka.

Kopaka glared at him. "Watch it," he muttered, but he didn't give any indication that he recognized Pohatu or that he wanted to talk to him. Whatever. Later, then. Right now he actually had to pay attention--his parents had said they wanted all the details when he got home.

*

"Hey, Kopaka!"

Kopaka turned his head slightly, then looked back at the soup he was ladling into his little styrofoam bowl. The tour was over, and Pohatu had decided to hit up the cafeteria for lunch before going home. Apparently, Kopaka had had the same idea. "Jeez, a guy tries to say hi and gets totally shot down," Pohatu sighed, leaning one hip against the soup counter with his arms crossed. "It's me. Pohatu. We know each other from school?"

"I know who you are." Kopaka's voice was clipped and cold, as usual. He wiped steam from the soup off his glasses on his shirt. "That doesn't mean I want to talk."

"Well, I've gotta talk to somebody, and you're the only one here I know." Pohatu followed Kopaka to the cafeteria line, clutching his sandwich and pop. "So what're you looking into?"

"I'm not 'looking into' anything," said Kopaka haughtily. Evidently, Pohatu had somehow wounded his pride, though judging from his arguments and near-fights with Tahu, that wasn't hard to do. "Metru Nui College has the best business program in the province. I'd be foolish not to come here."

Pohatu grinned. "So you're definitely coming here? Me too!" Kopaka looked slightly crestfallen, and Pohatu tried to ignore that. "I got a scholarship here for track. It's pretty much the only way I can afford to come here...and yeah, they've got a great sports massage therapy program, and an affiliation with Mata University, so it works great for me! Hey, are you planning on living in rez?"

"That is personal information and I--"

"We should totally be roommates!" Pohatu continued. Kopaka, who was pale at the best of times, turned even whiter. "C'mon, it'd be fun!"

"No. I'm living at home. Please leave me alone." Kopaka turned away to pay for his soup.

Pohatu chewed his lip. "Look, I'm just trying to make friends. If you want me to go away--"

"I do." Kopaka shot him a look. "I don't have friends. I don't want friends. And if I did, I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who's friends with that _idiot_." With that, he turned and marched off to find a seat.

Pohatu slammed some money on the counter and took off after Kopaka without waiting for his change. "Hey, wait!" He grabbed the shorter boy by one shoulder and nearly got a punch to the gut for his trouble.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Kopaka hissed, recoiling into himself.

"Right. I know. I'm sorry." Pohatu remembered the one time he'd seen someone dare to touch Kopaka without permission. Kopaka had nearly broken the kid's arm, but he'd been trying to force Kopaka to write his homework for him, so Pohatu didn't feel too sorry for him. He was pretty sure the only reason he was still breathing properly was that Kopaka liked him at least a bit. Or he didn't want to spill his soup. Hopefully it was the first option. "Look, Kopaka, I'm sorry that you and Tahu don't get along. But y'know something, he's not so bad." Kopaka snorted. "No, really. He blusters a lot, but if you so much as look at his brother or friends the wrong way he will fight you to the _death_. He seriously challenged a guy who wouldn't stop hitting on Hahli to a duel to the death."

Kopaka looked thoughtful. "I think I remember hearing about that. Didn't Hahli end up punching the guy in the face?"

"Broke his nose and got her suspended. Worth it, I thought. Anyway, Tahu's actually a pretty good guy. And y'know--"

"You say 'y'know' far too often," Kopaka interrupted.

"Okay, Grammar Police. Anyway, I don't think you're nearly so bad as all that either. I mean, sure, you can be really distant and you say you don't want friends, but I think you're just kind of lonely and annoyed that no one can keep up with your brains." Pohatu was pulling all this out of his ass, of course, but from the slightly less guarded look Kopaka was giving him, he wasn't far off. "And I think you're thinking that maybe I'm not the stupid track jock everyone thinks I am. Am I right?"

There was a long moment of silence. Then Kopaka looked away and nodded towards a table. "There are two seats over there."

Pohatu beamed at him again. "Stop that," Kopaka muttered, "it's annoying."

"Righto!" Pohatu said cheerfully, but he didn't stop grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like grumpy Kopaka okay?  
> I've always thought teenage!Tahu would be insanely overprotective of his friends and bluster a lot. A bit like Thor at the beginning of the first movie, pre-character development.


	3. Defacing Library Materials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pohatu writes his phone number in a library book. Kopaka, who works at the library, is not amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://ragnaroked.tumblr.com/post/76778816278  
> From this post: found their phone number in a library book AU  
> Relationship: Romantic (developing relationship)  
> Age: mid-20s  
> Warnings: one use of the f-word and one reference to boners, both by Kopaka ohohoho. (Might up the rating for this now just in case)  
> According to this (http://surnames.behindthename.com/name/winston) the name Winston means "joy stone" and there is not possibly another name more suited to him ever.

It was ringing.

Kopaka drummed his fingers on the desk and stared down at the book in front of him. Some idiot had thought it was a good idea to deface library property by writing their contact information in it. What made it even stupider was the fact that the phone number that had been scrawled in pencil on the corner of page 82 of _Good to Go: A Practical Guide to Adulthood_ was actually in the library's records, so when a patron had pointed it out to him, it had been easy for Kopaka to look up who the number belonged to.

As it turned out, it belonged to one Pohatu Winston, age 25 and far too old to be scribbling in library books. As a part-time student employee, Kopaka had been given the undesirable job of making phone calls regarding overdue books...and apparently this also extended to "we're warning you that defacing library property has consequences" calls. Joy.

"Hello, you've reached Pohatu's answering service! I'm at soccer practice or I've left my phone at home or it's dead again, so please leave me a message and I'll get back to you ASAP! Byeee!"

_"At the tone, please record your message."_

_*beeeeeep*_

Kopaka sighed internally, making sure it wasn't picked up by the machine. "Hello, this is Kopaka from the Ko-Koro public library. You have written this number in one of our books. If we learn you have done this again, there will be a fine of up to $100. Good day."  
He placed the phone back in its cradle with a click and sighed. He wondered if anyone had actually tried calling Pohatu's number, and what had happened if they did. The girl who pointed it out to him said she hadn't, but how was he to know whether she was telling the truth? He picked up an eraser and started to gently erase the number, taking care not to damage the page.

A shadow fell across the page, and he looked up to see a tall, good-looking young man, with tanned skin and dark brown hair and eyes, looking down at him with a smile. "Hey," he said casually.

Kopaka gave him a nod. "Hello. Is there something I can help you with?" He did his best to sound polite--his boss, Whenua, had told him recently that he was too snippy with patrons.

"Yeah, I'm lookin' for a guy who works here named Kopaka. Know who that is?"

Kopaka immediately tensed, then cursed himself mentally for doing so. That would look suspicious. "Why?"

Pohatu held up his phone. "He left me a message telling me I'd defaced a library book. I just wanted to explain."

This was new. Kopaka folded his arms and leaned back. "Well, go ahead, then."

Pohatu did a sort of double take. "You're Kopaka?"

"The very same." Damn, some of his usual cold was starting to creep back into his voice. "Is there a problem?"

"No! No problem! I just...wow." Pohatu was blushing now. "I just didn't expect you to be so...uh...handsome. Is that okay to say that?"

Kopaka's pale complexion made his embarrassment that much more obvious. Fuck his genetics. "It's, um, yes, it's fine," he mumbled. Oh, good, now he was mumbling and tripping over his own words. Good, that was something normal people did. Shut up, mouth. "Anyway, what's this explanation you say you have?"

Pohatu's smile turned awkward. "Um. Well, y'see, I just moved here. From Po-Koro."

Kopaka nodded, but said nothing. Pohatu looked like someone from Po-Koro--tall and muscular and tanned, used to working outdoors in the sun. It was what Po-Koro was known for, that and their sports.

"And I don't actually know anyone here. So I was looking for someone to talk to." He shrugged, looking down at the book. "I picked _Good to Go_ 'cuz I figured people my age'd be the ones reading it, so...yeah, I just really needed someone to talk to. And I wrote it in pencil," he added. "At least you can erase that."

Kopaka looked down at the half-erased number. "It still shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry. Thanks for not fining me. I won't do it again."

"The only reason you're not being fined is because I can fix it," Kopaka explained. "The next time you want to talk to someone, go on an internet chat room or something."

Pohatu laughed. "I don't have internet at my place. It's just me, so I can't afford it."

Kopaka looked up at him thoughtfully, then down at the book. He reached into his desk and pulled out a pad of sticky notes. He scrawled something on one and handed it to 

Pohatu, writing Pohatu's number on his. "There," he said. "I'm in classes from eight until two, and then here from three to eight most days. Call me when you get lonely. Don't deface more books."

Pohatu was looking at the name and number on the note Kopaka had given him like he'd just handed him a thousand dollar bill. "Really?"

Kopaka shrugged. "Sure. Or come around while I'm working sometime. I'm usually not too busy, and I can talk and shelve at the same time."

Pohatu beamed at him, absolutely beamed, straight white teeth practically shining out his face. "Thank you so much!" He looked like he wanted to leap across the counter and hug Kopaka.

"Not a problem."

"Look, I'll let you get back to work, but thank you! You're a lifesaver!" Pohatu grabbed his hand and shook it before running off. Kopaka heard one of his coworkers tell him not to run in the library and shook his head.

What he hadn't told Pohatu was that he knew what it was like not to have many friends. This would be interesting.

*

It was ringing.

Pohatu drummed his fingers on his knee and chewed his lip. What would he say if Kopaka answered? What would he say if he got the answering machine? What if Kopaka didn't have an answering service and he just sat there with the phone ringing and ringing and ringing and--

"Hello?"

He let out a huge sigh of relief that he hadn't realised he'd been holding in. "Hi, Kopaka!"

"Oh, it's you. Hello." Kopaka sounded different on the phone. Slightly more relaxed. "What is it?"

"Just, um, just calling to say hi. So. Hi." _You're really cute, can we please go out sometime, I'm lonely, talk to me, I've been kicked out and disowned, talk to me, talk to me, talk to me_ "I'm gay." The words were out of his mouth before he realises they'd formed in his head, what with the jumble of thoughts rolling around there. He immediately bit his tongue and stammered out an apology.

"Sorry? Why?"

Pohatu paused. "Well, it's not really the first thing you say to someone you just met. And I just kind of blurted it out. I'm not sure what to say, exactly."

He could practically hear Kopaka shrugging over the phone. "I don't care. I'm bi, and my brother and I are pretty sure my nephew is gay."  
Pohatu relaxed a little. "Oh. Okay. Thanks. Um." He let out a nervous laugh. "All I've done since we met is blurt out random stuff and sound like an idiot, huh?"

"A bit, yes."

"Are you smirking?"

"You'll never know."

"You're totally smirking."

"Yes."

*

Pohatu was waiting for him outside the library. "They had you working late today," he commented, falling into step beside him as they headed for Pohatu's motorcycle.

"A meeting. Something about budget cuts, again. My job is part of a grant so I'm safe, but I hope no one else gets laid off. It's hard enough to find jobs around here, let alone in a library. We only have one."

"What about school libraries?"

Kopaka shot him a glance. "They're even harder to get into. You have to get into the board, and therefore the union, and have so much experience and do so many things...my cousin works for a school board, and he knows people who've been working for the board for years with no steady job, just LTOs and stuff."

Pohatu let out a whistle. "That sucks. They should all go for the food service industry. They've got jobs coming out their ears."

"That's because no one wants them."

"True."

Kopaka smiled. In the three months the two of them had known each other, Kopaka had decided that he did, in fact, like Pohatu. He was funny, and kind, and smart (though not as smart as Kopaka, he was pleased to say), and loyal. They had become very close...close enough that when Pohatu called Kopaka in tears to say that his family had posted hateful things about him on Facebook, Kopaka had rushed to Pohatu's place with beer and a shoulder for crying. Close enough that when Kopaka's neice had been born, he'd asked if Pohatu could come with him to the hospital to see her.

Close enough that Kopaka was pretty sure he'd fallen for him.

The idea scared him, though, so he never brought it up. He'd had crushes before, of course, and gone out with both guys and girls, but he'd never fallen for someone he was already close to before. Pohatu was his closest friend, and he didn't want him to think that he'd befriended him for the sole purpose of getting laid. Some guys did that, and Kopaka had dated some of them...but he didn't want to be one of those guys.

"Paka? You okay?"

Kopaka smiled up at him. They'd reached Pohatu's bike by now. "Fine. Let's get going."

Pohatu handed him his spare bike helmet and they were off, Kopaka clinging to Pohatu from behind and praying that he didn't suddenly pop one. Kopaka didn't live far from the library, but Pohatu would often offer him a ride since Kopaka didn't have a car. Pohatu only lived a few blocks from Kopaka, so it wasn't putting him out too much, or at least that's what he always said when Kopaka tried to give him gas money.

"You're quiet tonight," Pohatu commented when they stopped outside Kopaka's apartment building.

Kopaka shrugged and dismounted. Pohatu stayed seated on the bike, watching him. "I'm usually quiet. You tend to drag the words out of me." He stood next to Pohatu, but up on the sidewalk. "You're good at that."

"Is that your way of saying you like talking to me?" Kopaka was about to say no, but the grin on Pohatu's face made him swallow it and nod instead. The grin widened. Pohatu looked down for a second, then lunged sideways to catch Kopaka's lips in a short kiss.

Kopaka froze. The kiss was over quickly, but he stood there blinking stupidly at Pohatu for what felt like an hour afterwards. Pohatu ducked his head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, I just--"

Kopaka grabbed him by the collar and hauled him over. The bike crashed to the ground and Pohatu started to protest that but shut up when Kopaka pulled him down to his level and pressed their lips together.

They pulled apart, panting, only for Pohatu to laugh, scoop Kopaka up in his arms, and swing him around. "Oh my God, oh my _God_!" he kept laughing, and Kopaka was laughing too, and was he crying or was Pohatu, because there were tears on his face. When Pohatu finally set him down, he looked down at Kopaka and declared "We need to move in together." Kopaka nodded vigorously. He didn't trust himself to speak just yet. "I didn't...I didn't want to assume that just because you're bi you'd...y'know, I..." He crushed Kopaka in another hug. "I'm so happy right now AAAAAAAH!"

Laughing, Kopaka pushed him away. "Pick up your bike and park it properly," he told him. "You're staying here tonight."

"Yes, _sir,_ " Pohatu said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then sex  
> Longest one yet (libraries ftw!) woop woop


	4. Loose Cannon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kopaka is a police inspector and Pohatu is his Sergeant (and boyfriend). Unfortunately, Kopaka can be a bit...tough with the suspects he interrogates and Commissioner Onewa asks Pohatu to talk with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /UGLY LAUGHTER
> 
> http://frostlawyer.tumblr.com/post/76546759677/obligatory-aus-i-really-want-post  
> From this post: police procedural AU  
> Relationship: Romantic (established relationship)  
> Age: mid-to-late 30s  
> Warnings: a few swear words. Gali being a shipper. Pohatu being a bit of a perv.

"Winston!"

Pohatu Winston looked up from his vigilant watch over the coffeepot. Commissioner Onewa Silverstein was headed towards him. Behind him, he briefly saw Kopaka Sniegowski storming down the hall and into his office, slamming the door behind him. "Is...everything okay, sir?" he asked, turning back to the Commissioner.

Silverstein ran a hand through his close-cropped brown hair. "No, it's not. Sergeant, I need you to talk to Sniegowski. Nothing I say gets through to him."

The coffeemaker beeped. "What's he done this time?" Pohatu asked, filling two Styrofoam cups. "Did he hit the suspect again?"

"Not this time, no." Silverstein sighed and grabbed a Styrofoam cup of his own. "He just...well, you know how he is, probably better than most. You're his partner, after all."

"In more ways than one," Pohatu muttered, wiggling his eyebrows at the older man.

"Cheeky ass." He poured about half a ton of sugar into his coffee while he was talking. "You know what he can be like. Slow and steady and methodical, by the book...until he knows for an absolute fact who did what and why and how. Then the kid's a menace."

"Sir?" Pohatu was kind of nervous now. Silverstein didn't usually refer to his officers as 'menaces.' "What did he do?"

The Commissioner tossed back half his still-steaming coffee in one go. "Nothing. It was terrifying to behold. Have you ever seen him do that? You know, that thing he does, where he just sits there and stares at you with those...those _eyes_ of his?" He shivered. "They're like _ice_. Cold and calculating and fucking terrifying. He just sat there and stared at the kid until he 'fessed up."

"Was it that kid we arrested for pickpocketing earlier?"

The rest of Silverstein's coffee disappeared. "Yep. He'll spend some time in the tank and head out again. If nothing else, he'll be off the streets for a bit. But Sniegowski's treatment of suspects is...it's scare tactics, Winston, and I won't be having it here."

"I take it you've tried to talk to him about it already?" Pohatu nodded towards Kopaka's closed office door, where he could practically see steam coming out the cracks from his boyfriend's fuming. "Is that what that was about?"

Silverstein's cup landed in the trash on the other side of the room without so much as a bounce off the rim. "Bingo." He sighed again. He looked incredibly old for a minute, as if all the stress of his job had finally caught up to him. "Look, Pohatu, just go talk to him for me, will you?"

Pohatu nodded. Silverstein rarely called people by their first names, and he hadn't referred to Pohatu by his first name since he'd been hired. It was considered quite the honour around the precinct. "I'll try, sir."

"That's all I ask." Silverstein started to walk off and Pohatu quickly added cream and extra sugar to his now mostly-warm coffee. "Oh, and Winston?" Pohatu looked back at Silverstein. "Don't mention this to anyone else, okay? Especially Attwater. You know how she can get about things like this, especially where you two are involved."

Pohatu grinned. Superintendent Gali Attwater was well known in the precinct for her matchmaking attempts and general meddling. She'd practically squealed with joy when Pohatu had informed her of his relationship with Kopaka and _always_ took his or Kopaka's side in arguments with Silverstein. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

Silverstein nodded and headed down the hall. Pohatu scooped up his two cups and sauntered casually to Kopaka's office.

He had a bit of trouble getting the door open with his hands full, but once he managed it he was greeted with the sight of his pale, blonde boyfriend stalking the length of his office, fuming and occasionally muttering things under his breath that Pohatu assumed were not very nice things about their boss. He kicked the door shut, the noise alerting Kopaka to his presence. "I hate him" were the first not-mumbled words out of Inspector Sniegowski's mouth.

"Well, that's nothing new, at least," Pohatu replied cheerfully, setting the coffee down. "You still take your coffee black, right?"

Kopaka glared at him, and _wow_ the Commissioner was right, that bright blue stare of his could be _really_ unsettling. "Here I am, keeping criminals off the streets--and the crime rate has been down so much since I got promoted that I'm having to resort to _pickpockets_ , of all people--and what thanks do I get? He gave me a 'you're a loose cannon, Sniegowski, but your'e a damn good cop' speech! I swear, he was _ten seconds_ away from using that _exact line_ on me! And I didn't even hit anyone this time!"

"First of all, while I'm very proud of you for managing to not smack a bitch," Pohatu said, leaning one hip against Kopaka's desk, "you are a loose cannon. You need to tone down the intensity a bit because _damn_ , son, you can be terrifying when you want to be." Kopaka opened his mouth to say something, but Pohatu talked right over him. He was starting to get good at that. "Which is kind of hot, not gonna lie." And Kopaka shut his mouth again. Wow, that was easy. Pohatu mentally patted himself on the back. "But when you're interrogating suspects? Not cool."

"He wasn't a 'suspect,' he did it, I _saw_ him. I chased him down through the crowd, tackled him, and wrestled the wallet back from him only to find three more on his person. You saw me do it!"

"Yes, yes I did. That doesn't make it okay, though. We don't do scare tactics, Kopaka. You know that." Kopaka let out a frustrated huff. "Secondly, you have been watching _way_ too much _Sherlock_ if you think your job is boring. You got to chase down a vicious criminal today!" He waved his hands in some approximation of joy. "Yaaaay!"

"He was a _pickpocket_."

"They can't all be murderers and jewel thieves. Come on, Kopaka, lighten up a bit!" Kopaka stared blankly at him, leaning back against the far wall.

Pohatu edged closer. "You're making this really difficult for me, you know." Kopaka didn't budge. Pohatu took another couple of steps. "Come on, you know better than anyone that police work isn't like it is on TV! You're the fist one to lecture kids about it when they visit the station!"

He'd reached Kopaka by that point, standing close but still a respectable distance away. Kopaka folded his arms and glared up at him, making him thankful for his extra three inches of height. "Besides," he continued, "you know you're just doing this because you're mad that Tahu got promoted ahead of you."  
Kopaka bristled. "That's not true."

"Yeah, it is." Pohatu leaned forward, bracing himself against the wall with his arms on either side of Kopaka's head. "But I think we all know they made a mistake with that. So make like a snow queen and let it go."

"First, I hate that you made me like that movie. Second, not at work you idiot, someone might see." Kopaka was a full-body blusher, something Pohatu had been quick to learn, and it was incredibly hot watching the blush disappear under the collar of Kopaka's shirt. He didn't move to push Pohatu away, though.

"So? Silverstein and Attwater already know and don't care. Give us a kiss." He gave him a quick peck on the lips, and really he'd intended to stop there, but Kopaka just _had_ to go and kiss him back, and whoops, now they were making out against the wall of Kopaka's office.

Kopaka, of course, was the first to break it off. "I hate you."

"No you don't." Pohatu flashed him an easy grin. "If you did, I'd be lying on the ground bleeding by now."

Kopaka looked away. "I'll...I'll try to be more, ah, discreet in my methods. And _you_ will do this more often. Deal?"

"Oh hell yeah it's a deal."

"Am I interrupting, boys?"

Pohatu resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall, instead pulling away to see an amused Gali Attwater in the doorway. "I just brought by some paperwork for Sniegowski," she explained, waving a thick looking file and tossing it on the desk. "Carry on." There was a definite twinkle in her eye as she left. Pohatu was never sure if he hated her or if she was the best thing about this station.

He looked back at Kopaka, who was scowling at the prospect of paperwork. "Well, we'd better get to work," Pohatu said cheerfully. Kopaka's scowl deepened and Pohatu leaned closer. "Be nice for the rest of the day and when we get home I'll...reward you," he purred.

Kopaka's eyes widened slightly for a split second before he turned his whithering look on Pohatu. "You do _not_ play fair. In fact, I think you're worse than I am." He pushed past Pohatu and headed for his desk.

"Oh, I'm definitely worse than you are." He gave Kopaka a slap on the ass on his way out, earning him a surprised yelp. "I'll get us more coffee, that stuff's probably lukewarm at best by now. If I'm not back in five minutes, come find me." He wiggled his eyebrows at Kopaka, and the last thing he heard before he shut the door behind him was a clipped, though halfhearted, "Jackass!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onewa's last name: http://surnames.behindthename.com/name/silverstein  
> Kopaka's last name: http://surnames.behindthename.com/name/sniegowski  
> Gali's last name: http://surnames.behindthename.com/name/attwater
> 
> I headcanon that Kopaka watches way too much TV and cusses it out when it's not exactly the way things work in real life, and Pohatu just sits there and shakes his head.


	5. Bank Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kopaka is a bank teller, Pohatu is a regular of his, and there are people with guns. Yeehaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://frostlawyer.tumblr.com/post/76546759677/obligatory-aus-i-really-want-post  
> From this post: trapped in a bank during a robbery AU  
> Relationship: Romantic (sorta)  
> Age: adults (late 30s-early 40s? idk)  
> Warnings: people with guns, no shots are fired. Introspection.

It's gonna be okay. We'll be fine. The police will sort this out. Calm down.

I breathe slowly, in through the nose, out through the mouth, and try to keep myself calm. I try really hard to not think about the fact that I'm on my hands and knees behind my teller's station with some yahoos out in front waving guns around. My manager s trying to talk them down, and I managed to hit the panic button so the cops are on their way, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm in the middle of a holdup.

Next to me is the bank patron I was helping before this whole mess started: Pohatu Winston, one of my regulars. He's a tall construction worker, a few years older than me, has a slight Southern twang that becomes more pronounced when he's annoyed, and is about ten seconds away from hyperventilating. He keeps running his hands through his wavy brown hair and swallowing, probably in an attempt to calm down.

Against my better judgement, I reach out slowly, trying not to startle him, and gently pat his arm. He nearly jumps out of his skin at the contact and I'm really not sure what to do here. I'm not the friendliest person, I know, but I can at least try to make him feel better.

Besides being one of my regulars, Pohatu's the closest thing I have to a friend in this city. I only transferred here a few months ago, and aside from my coworkers he's the one person in Po-Metru I'm closest to. I know he's interested in more than just friendship, and I won't lie, he's very attractive and I'm flattered by his obvious interest (he tries, bless him, but flirting subtly isn't his strong suit). I'm just not interested. He's a very nice person, though, taking the rejection gracefully and continuing to be friends with me. One of these days maybe I'll take him up on an offer to just get a couple of beers after work. As friends, of course.

I smile in what I hope is a soothing manner and nod in his direction. At my smile, he relaxes a bit and forces himself to breathe. He tries to smile back, but it doesn't make the corners of his eyes crinkle like usual, and all of a sudden I hate the men with guns out front, not for what they've done to me or the bank, but for what they've done to Pohatu. Pohatu has the loveliest, most genuine smile I've ever seen, and it always deepens his smile lines something fierce and I can't help but smile back. I hate them for taking that away from him--from me--for even just this once.

I feel myself go clammy at the sudden realisation that I fell for Pohatu's smile a long time ago and just never noticed. And of all things, it had to take a bank robbery to make me figure it out.

Police sirens start blaring and the idiots with guns start to panic. The cops take care of them fairly quickly, and the bank manager gives all of us the rest of the day off for trauma leave or something, I don't know, I'm not listening. I'm still a bit shell-shocked from everything that's just happened.

But when Pohatu catches my arm on the way out and says "Kopaka, I need a coffee, how about you?" I catch myself looking at his smile lines. He's smiling, and there are those crinkles at the corners of his eyes.

So I smile, and nod, and we link arms before stepping out into the sunlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short fic is short

**Author's Note:**

> IT IS 11:30 I SHOULD BE ASLEEP


End file.
